(CNN)"The Shape of Water" floated to the top as best picture at the 90th annual Academy Awards, bringing a suspenseful close to an awards season punctuated by the sexual-harassment scandals that have roiled Hollywood.

The Oscars are a big, unwieldy beast, which invariably try to serve too many masters. Yet if the intent was ultimately to maintain a celebratory tone without ignoring either the outside world or the elephant in the room throughout this year's awards, host Jimmy Kimmel and the show itself largely succeeded.

JUST WATCHED

Judd: We're going to burn down the patriarchy

MUST WATCH

Judd: We're going to burn down the patriarchy01:28

Aside from best picture, the awards both spread the wealth among a number of films and mostly followed the anticipated script, with few major surprises among the highest-profile categories. The show also managed to deal with serious issues -- from Time's Up to diversity and inclusion -- without sacrificing a sense of fun and irreverence.

Host Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018

Last year, the two-month awards process was dominated by the collective response to the newly minted Trump administration. While politics played a significant part in Sunday's telecast, there was also the matter of the #MeToo movement, as the entertainment industry still seeks to get its own house in order.

Indeed, while Kimmel might have become a more polarizing figure with his entry into the healthcare and gun-control debates, he again brought a genial persona to the emcee role, one that somewhat leavened the seriousness and bouts of pretentiousness that can drip into the ceremony.

Actors Lupita Nyong'o and Kumail Nanjiani speak onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on March 4, 2018

The issue of sexual harassment was given powerful voice by several actresses who have publicly spoken out about disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, allegations that, because of his outsized role, cast a shadow over awards season. Ashley Judd cited "a mighty chorus that is finally saying Time's Up." Frances McDormand also used her speech to deliver a message of female empowerment, having all the women nominees stand -- a symbolic gesture if there ever was one.

Frances McDormand accepts the award for best performance by an actress in a leading role for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

For an event like the Oscars, avoiding major snafus is always part of the challenge, especially after last year's envelope mix-up. Bringing back Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as presenters nicely added closure to that farcical finale.

There were, admittedly, an over-abundance of clip packages, although given the 90th-anniversary milestone, that was hardly a surprise.

The producers also provided the requisite mix of old and new, featuring the stars of superhero fare like "Black Panther" and "Wonder Woman" while giving nostalgic nods to Eva Marie Saint, Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda. Throw in screenplay winner James Ivory, 89, and for an industry that prize's youth, it was an inordinately good night for octogenarians.

Guillermo del Toro and the cast and crew of "The Shape of Water" accept the award for best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018

While the best-picture balloting kept Oscar watchers guessing, the acting nominations went according to form, including lead actors McDormand and Gary Oldman, and supporting honors for Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney.

The Oscars are still absorbing the impact of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, the hash tag created a few years ago in response to the absence of people of color among nominees. Since then, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has expanded its membership by roughly 20% and inducted more women and people of color, new blood that might have had an impact on the awards, producer more openness to genres that have usually been overlooked in the past.